WAKE-UP SCOOP: Governor Andrew Cuomo will headline Rep. Joe Crowley’s March 20 fund-raiser at the Dream Hotel, according to an invitation going out later today. Cuomo doesn’t lend his name to many fund-raisers, and Crowley is an interesting choice given his recent history opposing Bill de Blasio’s preferred candidate for Council speaker. The mayor and first lady both made separate appearances with Crowley in recent weeks, but Cuomo is putting his political imprimatur on Crowley in a way de Blasio, so far, hasn’t. See event details (without the Cuomo mention): http://goo.gl/WU1TP2

NEW TODAY: We’re pleased to announce Capital’s City Council tracker, a weekly guide to what's happening at the City Council. Every week on Monday we'll post about some of the upcoming hearings and track the progress of some of the more important pieces of legislation. http://goo.gl/u8sLaa

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DE BLASIO’S PARADE ROUTE -- Capital’s Sally Goldenberg: Mayor Bill de Blasio attempted to make a statement with his parade appearances this weekend, marching in the "St. Pat's for All Parade" in Sunnyside, Queens on Sunday, while skipping parades in Staten Island and the Rockaways. De Blasio told reporters in Queens that he shunned the Rockaways this weekend because it is not "inclusive," without elaborating. “My approach has been to embrace parades that are inclusive and that's the standard we're going to hold,” he said.

De Blasio marched in the Rockaways St. Patrick’s Day parade when he was a candidate last march. A spokesman later clarified that the mayor did not attend the Rockaways parade on Saturday due to scheduling conflicts. However, he skipped the Staten Island parade on Sunday because it’s exclusionary. http://goo.gl/EX8MtQ

PIC OF THE DAY: “From Queens this afternoon: Mayor @BilldeBlasio marches in the St. Pat's for All Parade.” via @NYCMayorsOffice http://goo.gl/Bg69VU

BOSTON TOO -- Times’ Vivian Yee: De Blasio “is not the only big-city mayor dealing with questions about who should and who should not march in St. Patrick’s Day parades. In Boston, where the second-largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country is held every year, Mayor Martin J. Walsh had also announced he was boycotting. … organizers have invited the group, MassEquality, to participate under the condition that its members not wear T-shirts or carry placards identifying their sexual orientation.” http://goo.gl/lb6y0C

FLASHBACK: The Boston compromise is the same deal David Dinkins brokered in 1991: “Under the agreement, the gays will not carry a banner or wear armbands identifying themselves as homosexuals.” http://goo.gl/HUnqBT

Send us tips and feedback at Azi@CapitalNewYork.com, Eliza@CapitalNewYork.com and GPazmino@CapitalNewYork.com; or on Twitter: @Azi, @ElizaShapiro and @GloriaPazmino.

TODAY: Mayor Bill de Blasio makes an announcement at 1 p.m. in City Hall’s Blue Room.

SNOW LOGISTICS -- Alternate side parking is suspended. Meters are in effect, and garbage and recycling collections will be on schedule. Track the snow plows here: http://goo.gl/bkv26R

ON NY1: ‘The Bosnia List’ authors Kenan Trebincevic and Susan Shapiro appear on Inside City Hall, airing at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Devorah Halberstam, whose son was murdered on the Brooklyn Bridge 20 years ago, also appears. Also featuring the Consultants’ Corner.

THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAYOR -- Observer’s Jill Colvin: The new mayor, who seems eager to comment on foreign policy topics, including Israel and sanctions against Iran, sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for his incursion into the Crimean peninsula. ‘I think the president was right to tell Mr. Putin that this was something that is very troubling in terms of world order and respect for sovereign boundaries,’ said Mr. de Blasio. http://goo.gl/03x3hG

THE DOMESTIC MAYOR -- Capital’s Reid Pillifant: De Blasio has been invited to participate in a forum on Thursday on ‘Leading America’s Cities,’ hosted by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. A spokesman for the mayor clarified that de Blasio welcomes the invitation, and that more information would be released as details were finalized. If he attends, de Blasio will be joined by mayors Rahm Emanuela, and Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles. http://goo.gl/u0kQFM

DE BLASIO’S MEDIA TEAM -- City & State’s Nick Powell: “‘De Blasio’s staffers, especially those new to city government as many in de Blasio’s press office are, will also have to ‘let the Kool-Aid wear off a little bit,’ [Dinkins’ spokesman Leland] Jones argued. In fact, several communications experts and political observers said that de Blasio’s press team has too many ‘true believers’ and not enough sober, experienced voices in the press office.

“They note that so far the messaging seems to be more about satisfying the mayor’s big-picture progressive vision than managing the daily news cycle. One unnamed communications strategist said of de Blasio’s press team: ‘They seem to think that life is visionary … but on the day-to-day stuff they just can’t get their act together.’” http://goo.gl/IxhXjV

--TRACKING CITY HALL’S DIVERSITY -- Newsday’s Emily Ngo: Mayor De Blasio's City Hall so far trumps Michael Bloomberg's and Rudy Giuliani's opening lineups in diversity, and rivals that of David Dinkins, the city's first and only black mayor, according to a Newsday analysis. His first 59 picks -- tallied from announcements he's made on deputy mayors, agency and department heads, senior support staff, and panel and board nominees -- include at least 18 blacks, eight Latinos and six Asians. De Blasio's top-tier staff -- those 39 who directly affect policy or lead agencies or departments -- is slightly less diverse than his team as a whole. http://goo.gl/TNMYk0

BDB VS. EVA: THE CITY’S CHARTER SCHOOL WAR

--Education Chairman calls oversight hearing into charter rally -- Capital’s Eliza Shapiro: Councilman Daniel Dromm announced Saturday that he will hold an oversight hearing to investigate whether Eva Moskowitz is illegally closing her schools on Tuesday so that students can participate in a pro-charter rally in Albany. Dromm, the chair of the Council's education committee, said he would also use the oversight hearing to investigate whether Moskowitz was violating regulations by closing schools, and what he called her "extensive marketing campaigns."http://goo.gl/NrrHss

--Pros and cons of Tuesday’s charter rally, from a Success principal and Dromm for the News: Donique Loving, Success Academy principal: “Mayor de Blasio claims we’re going to “march against pre-K” because he’s got a pre-K rally that same day. That’s offensive. We’re not marching against pre-K. We’re marching for charter schools.” Dromm’s reply: “Moskowitz outrageously claimed she would provide educational instruction to some of her students while on the bus trip up. One can only imagine what that lesson would look like.”

-- ‘Chartergate’ -- Post’s Editorial Board: “Consider: Bridgegate was meant as payback for a mayor seen as a foe of New Jersey’s governor. Chartergate targeted the mayor’s archrival, Eva Moskowitz … The one difference? In Bridgegate, the orders came from aides. In Chartergate, they come straight from the mayor himself.” http://goo.gl/Yfx6bP

-- Middle school push -- WSJ’s Michael Howard Saul: The city is releasing data today on the other half of the mayor’s early-education plan: expanding after school programs for middle school students. The “city currently has 45,095 after-school slots—serving 56,369 students—in 239 schools. There are 273 public schools with middle-school grades that don't have comprehensive after-school programs. Under the mayor's plan, after-school programs would be put in every district school that doesn't have them, providing 62,791 additional students with the benefit. In total, according to the report, the expanded program will have more than 95,000 slots and reach nearly 120,000 children.” http://goo.gl/o5ExQZ

-- De Blasio: The “point about pre-K is – and it’s a fundamentally necessary beginning – but it has to be reinforced in many other ways.” http://goo.gl/ZesFVT

SUPPORT IN BRONX FOR A RANGEL CHALLENGER -- News’ Corinne Lestch: State Senator Adriano Espaillat was endorsed by his colleague in that chamber, Gustavo Rivera, but said he is still “looking forward to” being endorsed by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Espaillat spent the weekend campaigning in the Bronx which has had a traditionally low voter turnout. “I hope this campaign will encourage people to participate and really create some excitement in the neighborhood that a new voice is coming to represent them in Washington,”‘Espaillat said. http://goo.gl/BY4Ovk

SHORT READS:

-- A Post editorial questions why de Blasio has extended his anti animal cruelty campaigns to the NYPD horses and the mounted police. “We ask this because there are 46 NYPD horses. Funny, we don’t see celebrities and socialites and activists holding galas to stop the cruelty to these animals.” http://goo.gl/YHQeUl

--North Brooklyn lawmakers want de Blasio’s Vision Zero to get be implemented, now, in their area, and for it to include the M.T.A. following the death of a pedestrian who was struck by a bus. Capital’s Azi Paybarah: http://goo.gl/EO5Tg8

--The developer of the 3.3-million-square-foot apartment project at the former Domino Sugar refinery in Brooklyn is threatening to sell if the de Blasio administration keeps pushing for larger affordable housing space than originally proposed. This could result in fewer — perhaps not any — affordable units being built in the 11-acre development. News’ Matt Chaban: http://goo.gl/OaUCIE

EVENTS:

10 a.m. -- Capital’s Dana Rubinstein discusses de Blasio’s counter proposal for the Domino Sugar development, his push against some charter schools, the snow and other topics, on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show.

10:10 a.m. -- Vincent Ignizio, the Republican leader in the City Council, appears on 77 WABC’s Geraldo Rivera Show

Noon. -- Public Advocate Letitia James joins parents pushing for de Blasio’s UPK agenda, at The Tweed Courthouse, at 52 Chambers Street, in Manhattan.

1:00 p.m. -- De Blasio hosts a press conference to make an announcement in the Blue Room at City Hall.

1 p.m. -- City Council Committee on Governmental Operations holds an oversight hearing about the best practices and recruitments, and appointments to community boards. City Hall, council chambers. Watch here: http://goo.gl/BgYyLG

5 p.m. -- James and others attend the LICH Communities Healthcare Meeting, at the SUNY College of Optometry, at 33 West 42nd Street, in Manhattan.